Emerging

Foldable Phones Have Solved Nearly Every Trade-Off, Well Before Apple Debuts One

Prakhar Khanna Writer Prakhar Khanna is a Writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives in chaos--mixing deadlines with travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza spots wherever he lands. This piece sits on 1 source layers, but the real value is showing why the story should not be skimmed past too quickly.

Prakhar Khanna Writer Prakhar Khanna is a Writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives in chaos--mixing deadlines with travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza spots wherever he lands. The signal is strong enough to deserve attention, but it still needs to be read as something developing rather than fully settled.

Emerging The topic has initial corroboration, but the newsroom is still waiting on stronger confirmation.
Reference image for: Foldable Phones Have Solved Nearly Every Trade-Off, Well Before Apple Debuts One
Reference image from CNET News. CNET News

Prakhar Khanna Writer Prakhar Khanna is a Writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives in chaos--mixing deadlines with travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza spots wherever he lands. His backpack usually carries one phone too many, and his playlists are stacked with 2000s Bollywood. CNET News is the main source layer for now, and the rest should be read as a signal that is still widening. The useful angle sits in the effect on user behavior, revenue flow, or how platforms compete for attention on screen.

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What is happening now

Prakhar Khanna Writer Prakhar Khanna is a Writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives in chaos--mixing deadlines with travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza spots wherever he lands. His backpack usually carries one phone too many, and his playlists are stacked with 2000s Bollywood. Find him across social media @ParkyPrakhar. Contact: parkydoesstuff(at)gmail(dot)com Expertise Mobile, Audio, Travel tech See full bio Prakhar Khanna April 2, 2026 5:01 a.m. PT 8 min read Prakhar Khanna/CNET While the iPhone Fold is expected to launch later this year, foldable phones appear to be finding their place well before Apple releases its first. It's been a long road to get here since the 2019 release of Samsung's Galaxy Fold , but the maturity of the foldable phone couldn't be coming at a better time. While the early phones in this category were thicker, expensive and had a very noticeable crease, many of these issues are on their way out. The main references behind this piece include CNET News.

Where the sources line up

CNET News is the main source layer for now, and the rest should be read as a signal that is still widening. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 , for instance, is thin enough to feel like a standard slab phone while folded. The new Honor Magic V6 has a larger battery capacity than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra . Huawei's Mate X7 has a 50-megapixel main camera with a 10-stop variable aperture -- a feature previously limited to top-of-the-line camera phones. And Oppo finally fixed the crease issue with its Find N6 foldable phone, making an almost flat inner screen in the process. These are all quality-of-life upgrades that led me to shift from my iPhone 17 Pro Max full-time. I love the foldable phones for their productivity-focused use, and they no longer hold back on design, battery life or (to an extent) cameras. Prakhar Khanna Writer Prakhar Khanna is a Writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets.

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The details worth keeping

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 , for instance, is thin enough to feel like a standard slab phone while folded. The new Honor Magic V6 has a larger battery capacity than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra . Huawei's Mate X7 has a 50-megapixel main camera with a 10-stop variable aperture -- a feature previously limited to top-of-the-line camera phones. And Oppo finally fixed the crease issue with its Find N6 foldable phone, making an almost flat inner screen in the process. These are all quality-of-life upgrades that led me to shift from my iPhone 17 Pro Max full-time. I love the foldable phones for their productivity-focused use, and they no longer hold back on design, battery life or (to an extent) cameras. These improvements appear to be reflected in sales numbers. The global foldable phone shipments were expected to grow 10% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to a December report from market research firm IDC . This number is expected to continue growing in 2026, with an expected 30% year-on-year jump. The useful angle sits in the effect on user behavior, revenue flow, or how platforms compete for attention on screen.

Why this matters most

The signal is strong enough to deserve attention, but it still needs to be read as something developing rather than fully settled. With 1 source layers on the table, the part worth reading most closely is where firm facts meet the market's early reaction. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives in chaos--mixing deadlines with travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza spots wherever he lands.

What to watch next

The real follow-up is whether the story turns into measurable user, creator, or revenue impact. Patrick Tech Media will keep checking rollout speed, user reaction, and how CNET News update the next pieces. In this pass, the story was distilled from 1 signals into 1 source references that are genuinely useful to readers.

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